Persona 3: Orpheus
by Icy McSpicy
Summary: A comedic retelling of the classic Persona 3 romance where Minato is head-over-heels for Yukari the entire story. Some moments are canon and some are made-up. Rated T for mild adult content. Enjoy!
1. Orpheus

_Accompanying the words with the lyre, Orpheus sung, "O deities of the underworld, to whom all we who live must come, hear my words, for they are true! I come not to spy out the secrets of Tartarus, nor to try my strength against the three-headed dog with snaky hair who guards the entrance. I come to seek my wife, whose opening years the poisonous viper's fang has brought to an untimely end. Love had led me here, Love, a god all powerful with us who dwell on the earth, and, if old traditions say true, not less so here._

– _Thomas Bulfinch's "Orpheus and Eurydice"_

* * *

Chapter 1: Orpheus

"Hurry up, we're almost there!"

A couple steps ahead of him, a rather slim girl in a pink jacket was leading the way, occasionally yelling back words of encouragement. Yukari Takeba, if he recalled correctly.

"Damn this dorm," Minato thought to himself as he continued to run. Four kids live here, but of course there are five floors and 100+ stairs to the top. He was barely keeping up with Yukari, she being the fit archery team star she was. Chasing Yukari, however, was certainly a better alternative to being caught by whatever was chasing _them._ Minato hadn't looked back yet, but judging by the growls and heavy thuds, he guessed it wasn't a pretty girl.

"It's here! Come on, hurry up!" Yukari shouted at him as she crested the top of the last flight of stairs.

"About time," Minato muttered his ragged breath, before a high-pitched screeching behind him shut him up. He rushed through the heavy metal door that Yukari was holding open for him. She quickly followed and he heard a loud slam followed by a click.

Finally given a moment to catch his breath, Minato looked around the rooftop. Well, it wasn't exactly what he could call a normal night. The sky had a nasty green color, and the moon was abnormally large and looming. Black mist limited vision to only a couple of feet. The scene reminded him of those movies with the haunted houses and the evil witches that turned people into flower pots or something. Except this was not a movie.

"I think we're safe," Yukari said quietly, evidently trying to catch her breath too. Minato had a lot to ask, but he wasn't a big talker, especially with strangers. So they both just stood there, catching their breath in the eerie moonlight. Yukari seemed to sense the awkward silence, so she started idly chatting.

"So, uh, those things chasing us…we call them shadows." Yukari laughed nervously. "They aren't fun." No kidding.

A silver glint on Yukari's person caught Minato's eye. A watch? No, something bigger. Maybe a phone? As if on cue, she drew out the silver item from her leg: it was a pistol, and she was pointing it straight at him.

"Be-behind you!"

Minato turned, only to get picked up and knocked what felt like fifty feet into the air seemingly by the darkness itself. Vision blurry and body aching, he saw that he had been thrown into the wall, and the impact had left a rather deep dent in the bricks. Just another reminder to lay off the junk food.

From the ground, he saw that Yukari was doing her best to strike a bold stance between him and some kind of black monster that was climbing over into the roof. She took her silver pistol into her right hand, knees and arm shaking. Her effort was cute, but if she didn't have the nerve to shoot _him_ a week ago, there was no way she could take _this_ on.

And then she put the gun up to her own head.

"Yukari, no!" he heard himself shout before he realized it.

He felt his heart slow down and stop as her finger fumbled on the trigger, one muscle movement away from blowing her brains out.

And in a flash, time resumed as the imposing darkness knocked her down, sending the gun tumbling towards him across the ground.

Half relieved but half terrified, he took his first real look at the monster. It wasn't much to look at: just a blob made out of blackness with a creepy mask and arms that extended into the night. But it made Minato nervous. He hated it, but he also felt like he knew it on some deep level. Oh well. Now was not the time for emotional reflection. _It_ was getting closer, and fast.

Minato scrambled to grab the pistol and aimed it at the monster. Hopefully all those hours of FPS games paid off.

 _Click._

Nothing.

The darkness was getting closer.

Empty?

Closer.

Damn it Yukari.

And closer.

Wait.

The arms were just a couple of feet away.

Minato looked at the crumpled figure to his right. Yukari was leaning against the wall, possibly injured, fear in her eyes. Fear. In her beautiful brown eyes.

He took in a deep breath. "I hope you're not crazy Yukari," he whispered quietly to himself. Minato took the gun, and for the second time in his life, aimed it at the side of his own head.

"Orpheus."

* * *

Although everything had been black and green when he pulled the trigger, his surroundings were bright and white when he woke up.

Minato opened his eyes and sat up groggily. Where was he? How long had he been asleep? What happened to the monster? What about Yukari? ...Yukari!

"I'm right here silly."

The sound of that voice was more beautiful than anything Minato had ever heard. Sitting at the foot of his (hospital?) bed was none other than Yukari Takeba. She had a smile on her face like she hadn't smiled in weeks, and her eyes had the slightest hint of moisture.

Minato opened his mouth to respond but again found himself interrupted, this time by a hug.

"I thought you were never going to wake up," Yukari said quietly, still holding onto him. "I would have felt terrible if- well, let's not talk about that." It took her a moment to realize how close they were, and she broke away, cheeks tinged with red.

"I should let you rest," Yukari said, now regaining her composure and straightening out her pink sweatshirt, "but before I go, I just wanted to say a couple of things."

Quiet was Minato's middle name, so he sat up and held back all of the questions he had.

"First, I want to say that I'm sorry that your first week here has been so crazy. Jeeze, that was, what, two weeks ago?" Yukari sighed. "But anyway, it'll all make sense soon." Minato certainly hoped so.

"Second, thank you for saving me. As you saw, I'm a bit of a nervous wreck, but you! You're a natural!" A natural at what exactly still eluded Minato, but he let her continue.

"Finally, I think that, err, we could be pretty good friends, you know," Yukari said sheepishly, averting her gaze. "I don't want to pry, but…your parents? They're..?" Minato caught on and nodded. Talking about his parents didn't really bother him anymore.

"Well, I don't have my parents either. So at least we have each other, right? Uhm, wait, I didn't mean it to sound like that." Yukari was now in a full rose blush. Minato laughed and gave a smile to reassure her, though it was a little wobbly and nervous.

Yukari giggled. "Well, you better get some more rest. We have school tomorrow." She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "Thanks Minato," she said before exiting the whitewashed room.

Minato's mind was racing with all of the new information combined with the events of that night rushing back. But two things stood out the most in his thoughts.

The first made him cringe.

The look on Yukari's face that night. Right then and there, he made a promise: he would never let anything make Yukari feel like that ever again.

The other thought made his heart pound and brought a slight grin to his face.

"Huh. At least we have each other."

* * *

 _Orpheus was permitted to take her away with him on one condition, that he should not turn round to look at her till they should have reached the upper air._


	2. Your Charm Has Increased?

_Full Definition of "Charm"_

 _a : a trait that fascinates, allures, or delights_

 _b : a physical grace or attraction —used in plural (her feminine charms)_

 _c : compelling attractiveness (the island possessed great charm)_

 _-Merriam-Webster Dictionary_

* * *

Chapter 2: Your Charm Has Increased?

" _At least we have each other, right?"_

Those words were still echoing in Minato's head, even a full week later. That was all the more impressive considering all of the craziness that had happened in the last seven days. Personas, Tartarus, shadows? He still didn't really get any of it. All he knew was that he was now fighting with a group of kids trying to save the world.

There was Mitsuru Kirijo, the rich super-student and student council president.

Akihiko Sanada, star boxing team captain and girl-magnet. Both Mitsuru and Akihiko were seniors, one grade ahead of Minato.

In Minato's grade, there was Junpei Iori, class clown and the newest addition to the team.

Then there was Yukari Takeba, archery pro and most popular girl in their grade. Yukari Takeba, the girl whose life he had saved. Yukari Takeba, the one who had said the words that were now stuck in his thoughts. Yukari Takeba, the-

"Minato Arisato! You can stare at Yukari in your free time, but please pay attention in class!"

Minato felt his cheeks redden and he sunk in his seat a bit as his classmates laughed. Yukari Takeba, the girl sitting one seat in front of him, turned around and stifled a laugh, clearly entertained by Minato's mistake. It didn't help when she flashed him a smile that could've melted a shadow in an instant.

* * *

"So you've got the hots for Yukari, huh?"

Minato was walking home from school with his friend, Kenji Tomochika. Kenji was a nice guy, fun and talkative, but his pestering was starting to get on Minato's nerves.

"Of course not. She's just a friend," Minato said.

Kenji laughed. "That's not what your face said in class today. And don't you live in the same dorm? That's hot."

Minato lightly shoved Kenji. "Cut it out man. Seriously, we're just friends." Kenji gave him playful shove back and straightened his own shirt out.

"I guess you wouldn't have a chance with Yukari anyway. She would only want a real charming kind of guy." Minato punched him on the shoulder, and not very lightly.

"Whatever man. At least I don't have a crush on my teacher."

Kenji just laughed it off. "You're damn right I have a crush on my teacher! Ms. Emiri Kanou is the love of my life! And, wait, so you DO have a crush on Yukari?"

"Shut it Kenji!"

* * *

Minato was sitting in his room trying to do his homework, but he just couldn't focus. Kenji's words echoed in his mind.

" _She would only want a real charming kind of guy."_

Minato sighed. English homework could wait. He got up and crossed the hallway, and knocked on a door.

Akihiko opened the door. "What's up?" asked the tall white-haired senior.

"I, err, well-," Minato didn't really know what or how to ask.

"I'm in the middle of a workout, so could you talk a bit faster?" Minato swallowed his pride.

"How do I get more charming?"

"Pardon me?"

* * *

Ugh. Minato couldn't feel his legs. Or his arms. Or anything else really.

" _Well, I guess girls like me because I'm strong and fit. So maybe try working out?"_

Worst. Idea. Ever. Minato slowly trudged home from the gym, his pride wounded as much as his muscles. "I won't ever be as fit as Akihiko…" Minato groaned.

When he passed through Iwatodai Station however, he saw a flyer that caught his eye.

"Hagakure! World-famous tuna! Makes your skin beautiful! Turn on your charm! Now open at Iwatodai Station!"

Hm. Minato quickly checked his wallet.

* * *

 _One day later_

"Now, now, I'm sure you're fine. Now please, get out. I need to continue my studies."

And just like that, Minato's visit to the nurse's office was over.

Minato's stomach still felt sick. And even worse, he didn't feel any more charming. In fact, he felt like that the tuna made him _less_ charming. So much for the easy road.

His stomach was acting up again as he was walking home, so he dropped by the pharmacy at Paulownia Mall. As he paid, said thanks, and left, he saw something that caught his eye.

"Come try our Pheremone Coffee at the famous Chagall Café! Turn on your charm!"

…Well, so much for his savings account.

* * *

 _Knock knock_

"Minato? Are you okay? I'm coming in." Yukari opened the door to Minato's room and peeked in.

Minato was asleep face down on his desk, snoring loudly. Empty coffee cups were scattered around the desk and room.

"Oh jeeze, Minato," said Yukari as she started gathering the cups. Putting the high stack of cups down, she gave Minato a light tap on the back.

"Huh? Wh-what happened?!" Minato groggily shouted, temporarily out of it.

"I guess you fell asleep while studying. You didn't look very good in class today, so I wanted to check up on you." She took a cup and waved it playfully in front of Minato's sleepy face. "Coffee isn't that good for you, ya know?" Yukari said, smiling. "What are you reading?" she asked as she bent over and looked closer at the book Minato had fallen asleep on. "Dummies Guide to Being Charming," she said, reading the title out loud.

Minato's heart stopped. "Wait, I- I can explai-"

"Do you have a crush on a girl, Minato?"

"I- uhmm- maybe?"

Yukari grinned and giggled. She picked up the book started reading the page. "Do you really think you need a book to teach you how to be more charming?" she asked, face half-buried in the book.

"Well…" Minato thought he was about to die. He wondered if they sold dis-embarrass at the pharmacy.

"Well, I don't think you need this," Yukari said, placing the book back down on the desk.

"Huh?"

"You're already pretty charming," Yukari said as she giggled and left, flashing her signature smile before closing the door behind her.

And that left Minato alone, with his heart beating uncomfortably fast. It wasn't because of the dozen cups of coffee.

* * *

 _Do you know the difference between a beautiful woman and a charming one? A beauty is a woman you notice, a charmer is one who notices you._

 _-Adlai E. Stevenson_


	3. Execution

_"It's time for the execution!"_

 _-Mitsuru Kirijo_

* * *

Chapter 3: Execution

Minato leaned back in his chair and yawned. Up to his neck in paperwork, he was seriously questioning his decision to join the student council. It wasn't like he had much of a choice anyway: when Mitsuru asks you to do something, you do it.

And now it was just him and the red-haired student council president herself left in the meeting room. They were sitting across from each other, silently working on various forms and papers. Mitsuru had let everyone else go home, but of course insisted that Minato stay to help her. She truly was an empress. Beautiful, but somewhat distant and cold. Maybe that's why her persona's type was ic-

"Arisato."

Lost in his thoughts and unused to being called by his last name, it took Minato a moment to respond.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for staying after to help me. I know you are busy with school and training in Tartarus, but I really do appreciate your assistance in student council," said Mitsuru. She then proceeded to give him a slight smile that seemed to melt her typical cold demeanor. Slightly taken aback by the sudden change, Minato simply nodded in response.

"I'll finish up here. Go home and get some rest. We're going to Tartarus tonight," Mitsuru said as she returned her attention to her work. Minato nodded again, and gathered his things and left, closing the door behind him as he left.

"Yukari's archery practice ends around now," he thought to himself as he checked his watch outside the room. "Maybe I'll go see if she wants to walk home together." The thought excited him, and he started to walk towards the school's archery range with purpose behind his steps.

Nearing the range, he saw in the distance the back of a girl in a pink sweatshirt. Yukari. As he got closer to greet her, however, it felt like a shadow had stolen the words out of his mouth like he had Apathy or something.

She was talking to a rather tall and good-looking guy. Maybe a foreigner by his looks. And they weren't just talking. They were holding hands.

Minato felt something welling up. He would have to stop by the pharmacy on the way home and pick up some dis-jealous. But since he didn't have any of that right now, he went to confront Yukari and the mystery boy.

"Oh, hey!" Yukari said as she turned and greeted him. Minato cringed a bit internally when he saw that they were still holding hands.

"Hey," Minato said, forcing a smile. "Do you want to walk home together?"

Yukari turned for a second towards the blonde boy, then turned back to Minato. "You go on ahead. I'll be back later," she said with her signature bright smile. The boy also smiled at him, but didn't say a word, a smug look on his face. Why that little-!

Minato nodded, and reluctantly started walking home by himself, head brimming with ideas on how he could best dismember that smug son of a-

* * *

"Shadow!"

Minato barely had time to react as he turned and stabbed his sword into a black blob that was sneaking up on him. The shadow exploded into a mess of black goo and mist. Flicking his sword through the air to get the blood off, Minato sighed: he was not on point tonight. And in a demonic tower full of monsters that wanted to kill him, not being on point was bad.

Tartarus was a large tower that took the place of their school for an hour each night: the Dark Hour. It was full of shadows, bloodstains, and, worst of all, stairs. A couple of nights each week, he and the rest of S.E.E.S. (Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad) came here to fight and explore. He didn't really know the details, but from his understanding, they needed to get rid of this tower to save Japan.

Saving Japan was not his priority tonight, however. His mind was more occupied with Yukari and her mystery suitor. The boy was tall, good-looking, and seemed charming: it was Yukari's dream guy and Minato's worst nightmare. Minato groaned. How could he compete with that? But it made sense. Yukari was a very pretty girl ("a lone rose" was the term he had unconsciously doodled on his English notes before madly erasing it as she turned around to ask him a question), so it made sense that a lot of guys would like her. But still, it made him so angr-

"Arisato! Behind you!"

Minato turned around quickly and stabbed, but missed the target by a whole foot and fell flat on his face, dropping his sword in the process. The shadow, a rather creepy looking table, was just about to hit him. Minato put his arms across his head and prepared for the worst.

"Penthesilea!"

A giant icicle speared the table clean through, and it crumbled into black goo and wood chips.

Mitsuru hurried over to a fallen Minato. "Are you alright?!" she said, her worry apparent in her tone. Behind her, her persona, Penthesilea, remained on guard with a cold aura surrounding it.

Minato felt around his body with his hands. Chest. Legs. Kidney. He was fine. "I'm okay."

Mitsuru sighed in relief. "Please pay more attention to your surroundings. We can't afford to lose a member, especially one as important as you." She offered her hand to help him up. Taking it, Minato felt overly conscious of how warm it was, as well as how warm his cheeks were getting.

"You are the leader, after all," she said as she picked up his sword and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he responded quietly.

"I think that's enough for tonight," Mitsuru said. "Let's gather the rest of the team and go home."

* * *

For the third time that day, Minato was attacked by surprise, this time by a girl as he was leaving the classroom. The mystery attacker grabbed him by the shoulders and pinned him up against the wall, so that his feet weren't touching the ground.

"So I hear you're close to Mitsuru-senpai," the girl said to him, a rather intimidating look in her eye.

Minato was having trouble breathing, or even moving at all. "Maybe I am. What's it to you?"

The girl shook him. "Mitsuru-senpai is the love of my life, so you better not interfere!" Minato felt like he was one wrong word away from being murdered right there in the hallway.

"I wasn't planning on it."

"I know all of the rumors of this school, and I know that you stay after with her in student council," she said, pushing him more forcefully against the wall. Damn, she was strong. "Promise you won't go after her?"

"I promise," Minato said through gritted teeth, and the girl released him without warning, letting him fall to the floor painfully.

"Good," she said as she straightened out her uniform.

"Wait," Minato grumbled to himself. "If this girl knows the rumors of the school, maybe…."

He made his inquiry to the Mitsuru fanatic, and she taunted him in response.

"Oh, so you're into Yukari-chan. That's so cute! But she might be a little out of your league," she said, to Minato's annoyance.

"Whatever," he responded. "Just tell me about this guy."

"Only if you do a favor for me." Minato had a bad feeling about this...

"What kind of favor?"

"Rumor has it you live in the same dorm as Mitsuru-senpai," she said as she brought her face uncomfortably close to his, eyes brimming with expectation.

Oh no.

* * *

 _"Come forth! Feel the cold!"_

 _-Mitsuru Kirijo_


	4. Execution Pt 2

_No matter how many times you come at me, I will continue to strike you down... None shall stand in my way!_

 _-Mitsuru Kirijo_

* * *

Chapter 4: Execution Pt. 2

Minato couldn't do it. There was no way. If he got caught, it was over. Instant execution.

Yet his curiosity was getting the best of him. He _needed_ to know who this mystery guy was and what the Tartarus he wanted with Yukari. So when he heard the shower from the floor above start, he knew he only had one opportunity. Steeling his nerves, he grabbed his phone and left his room, and headed the girls floor.

Minato crept up the stairs and peeked around. Coast looked clear. As quietly as he could, he made his was across the floor to the girls bathroom. Sigh. This was it. No turning back after this. He reached for the door handle and half-prayed it would be locked. It wasn't.

Slowly and deliberately, he sneaked into the steam-filled room. The shower was still running, and a soft feminine humming could be heard. In the corner, by the shower, a flash of red above the curtain. No mistaking. This was Mitsuru.

All he had to do was wait for her to come out, take one picture, and he would have his information. As male as he was, he didn't want to look: if he looked once, it would be hard to look at Mitsuru the same way as he used to.

The water stopped running. Minato's chest tensed. He loaded his phone's camera and swallowed quietly. Here goes.

The student council president opened the curtain and stepped out. _Click._

He took the picture and slipped back out the door, and waited. No screams. No shouts. No curses. Minato sank against the wall and took a deep breath of relief. She hadn't noticed. However, his phone suddenly felt very heavy in his hand.

 _Don't look. Don't look._ He took one glance at the picture, cursed and congratulated himself simultaneously, and swore never to look at it again. Before he could get up to leave, disaster struck.

 _Ringgggg. Ringgggg. Ringgggg._

Minato cursed under his breath and answered. "Hello?" he said as quietly as possible.

"YO WHADDUP MAN!" said a voice louder than every shadow in Tartarus combined.

"Kenji? Is that you?" Minato said, still whispering.

"YEAH! HEY YOU WANNA HANG OUT ON SUNDAY?!"

"I can't talk to you right now Kenji, I'm busy!"

"OH, ALRIGHT. TALK TO YOU LATER THEN!" He sounded disappointed.

Minato shut the phone and sighed. What bad timing. At least he didn't get caught. Now he could take his photo and-

"Penthesilea!"

 _Thwack._

Splinters of wood shot in every direction as the door next to him partially exploded. A couple inches next to his head, a large icicle was sticking through the bathroom door. Minato resisted the urge to scream.

The door collapsed a second later, revealing a wet yet very terrifying Mitsuru, lightly covered in a towel.

"Whoever or whatever is there, prepared to be executed!" she shouted, a powerful aura of ice and feminine danger surrounding her.

Minato knew he had no choice but to come clean, or he risked being speared. Reluctantly, he stepped out in front of the doorway. In front of an extremely angry Mitsuru. Minato swore she had flames in her eyes. Or maybe they were blizzards.

Upon seeing him, however, the blizzards melted a bit. "Arisato?" Her piercing glare softened into a confused one.

The blue-haired hero smiled nervously. "Ah, Mitsuru. I was just, uh, passing by?" he said, not feeling too confident in himself. "Sooo I'llbegoingnow," he said as he turned away. An uncomfortably warm hand wrapped itself around his wrist. "Stop."

Mitsuru grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around. Minato gulped and started silently praying to every god whose name he could remember.

"Well, this is certainly…unexpected," she said sheepishly, an uncharacteristic stutter in her usually confident speech.

"Mitsuru please, I can explain! Don't execute me I'm just a-"

She put two fingers to his mouth and he stopped.

Mitsuru sighed. "I was expecting it to be Iori, and perhaps I would have actually executed him, but…I'm willing to let _you_ go, Arisato. This time," she said, aiming her gaze at the ground and nervously twirling her wet red hair as she did so.

Relieved but still very embarrassed, he silently thanked his lucky stars and made a resolution to start praying more often. "Thank you Mitsuru. I'm sorry. I'll be going now." Minato turned and was just about to start walking away when he heard something. It was faint, almost as quiet as a whisper. But he heard it clearly.

 _"I don't mind if it's you, Minato."_

Minato froze in place and turned, but Mitsuru was already back in the bathroom, drying her hair with an electric blower. She didn't seem to notice Minato staring right at her. Maybe it had been…his…imagination? Speechless and feeling utterly confused with the night's events, he went back to his room and flopped onto his bed, face down. What a day.

* * *

The girl spent a whole five minutes staring at the small picture on the phone screen, an intense look on her face. "Yes! I have now committed every curve and detail to memory!" she stated excitedly, finally looking up from the phone. Minato sighed, momentarily wishing he could contract Apathy syndrome and forget he ever heard that.

"Whatever," he said impatiently. "Just give me what you know about the guy."

"Oh, I have no idea who he is. Sorry! Good luck with Yukari though!" she said, before she took off like a rabbit down the hallway, Minato's phone in hand. Oh, Tartarus.

Just as Minato was about to lay down on the ground and quit for the day, Yukari and the mystery boy should up around the corner. And they were still holding hands. The tall boy shot Minato a very bright smile when he saw him. Oh, he is so going down.

Unable to hold himself back, Minato found himself making a rather grim frown. "When were you going to introduce me to your boyfriend Yukari?" he said dejectedly.

"Huh?" Yukari responded, head tilted curiously. She nodded towards the boy. "He's just a transfer student. I'm showing him around the school. He doesn't know Japanese very well, and he's very nervous, so I thought he would be more comfortable if I physically guided him around for today."

Well that explained his foreign appearance. Still, Minato couldn't believe it. "A transfer student? Bu-but, why does he keep smiling at me like that then?" he said, pointing to the still-beaming blonde.

"Oh," Yukari said, slightly laughing. "From what I've gathered, I think that, uhm..." Yukari paused nervously.

"What is it?"

"I think he likes you. Like, LIKES, you."

"Huh?"

"He's gay, Minato."

...Oh boy.

"So you don't have a boyfriend?" Minato asked, maybe a bit too eagerly.

"Nope," Yukari responded, and Minato did his best to hide a grin. "But you might soon," she said, trying her best to stifle a laugh. Huh?

The transfer student had let go of Yukari and was now trying to give Minato a very intimate hug.

"He-hey! Stop!"

Minato was doing his best to fend off the boy, but his defense was crumbling. "Yu-Yukari! Tell him to stop!"

Yukari was now completely lost to laughing. "Sorry!" she said as she pulled the now-unhappy boy back. "Sorry," she said again, this time to the foreigner but still laughing uncontrollably. "I can't let you have him. He's already taken."

 _Ba-dump._

Huh? Already…taken?

 _Ba-dump._ Minato's heart was on edge.

Yukari saw his puzzled look and giggled. "You and Mitsuru, right?"

* * *

 _C'est magnifique!_

 _-Mitsuru Kirijo_


	5. My Heart is a Runaway Train

" _Step back, doors closing."_

 _-Automated Metro Warning_

* * *

Chapter 5: My Heart is a Runaway Train

"Pay very close attention everyone. Especially YOU, Iori," Mitsuru said as she whacked a nearly asleep Junpei on the head with her ruler. Currently, the members of S.E.E.S. were gathered in the dorm conference room for an emergency meeting. Minato was sitting on the couch, carefully listening to the senior's words.

"Aw jeeze, I was awake."

Mitsuru slammed her hands and the ruler down on the table. "This is serious! Our scanners have detected a very powerful shadow near Iwatodai Station! If we don't act quickly, innocent people could be hurt." She picked up the ruler and pointed it right at Minato's chest like it was a rapier. "You will be leading the operation to defeat this shadow," she commanded. "Does anyone have any other questions?" asked Mitsuru as she turned her head towards the rest of the team. Minato slowly removed himself from sword point.

"Man, why can't I be the leader?" complained Junpei with a groan.

Yukari laughed. "Probably because you have a 50% chance of falling down whenever you swing your sword," she said.

"Hey! I resent that."

Akihiko sighed. "Minato is the most experienced out of you three. I'm still banged up, so I can't help much. And Mitsuru is the only one who knows how to work the scanners. So Minato is the natural choice."

Mitsuru slashed her ruler-rapier through the air. "Enough idle chit-chat. We need to move. Now."

* * *

To Minato, it was looking a lot like the night exactly a month earlier: the sky was a gross green color, and the moon was larger than Junpei's ego.

"Hey! I heard that!"

Still, it was eerily quiet as the three underclassmen walked down the monorail track. Mitsuru had said that the shadow was in a stopped monorail, and despite her assurances that it was safe to walk on the tracks, Minato couldn't help but worry about being hit by a train. That would be a super lame way to go out. He could imagine the headlines: "Stupid Teens Eviscerated by High-Speed Train".

The plastic piece in Minato's ear buzzed and crackled. "You're very close to the shadow. Be careful," said Mitsuru, voice fuzzy over the comms. Minato could see the train up ahead. An unnerving green glow emanated from the windows.

"Well, we're here," Yukari said shakily, obviously frightened by the scene.

"What, are you SCARED Yuka-tan?" taunted Junpei, with extra emphasis placed on the "scared".

"What? Of course not!" she said indignantly, crossing her arms and puffing her chest out. Minato smiled. Wow, she was cute when she was angry.

"If you aren't scared, go first," Junpei said, pointing to the open door at the front of the train

Yukari cringed a bit at the thought, but was determined to defend her pride. "Alright, I will!" she said defiantly. She started to climb the short ladder to the door but suddenly stopped and turned around, an angry expression on her face.

"Don't. Look."

It took Minato a moment to realize what she was talking about. She was wearing her usual school uniform skirt, and if she went up the ladder first he might be able look up and see-

"Alright guys, come on up!" shouted Yukari, already inside the train car. Damn.

Junpei climbed up and Minato followed. When he got in, Minato took a good look around. Upright coffins were scattered across the car. Normal people who were transmogrified during the Dark Hour. Poor saps. At least they didn't have to beat shadows up.

The comms crackled with Mitsuru's voice. "The shadow should be somewhere around there. Keep looking."

With timing better than a stopwatch, a black blob popped down from the ceiling at that exact moment. Target acquired. But as the team moved in for the kill, the shadow simply ran away, and retreated into the next car.

"Oh no you don't!" Junpei shouted as he ran after it over the sound of a frantic Mitsuru's warnings. "Stop! Iori!"

The second Junpei took a step into the next car, the door separating the cars slammed shut.

"Junpei!" cried Yukari. "What are you- whoa!" Yukari's question was interrupted as she and Minato were suddenly knocked to the ground by an unseen force. Dazed, Minato looked out the window and saw the green night flying by. The train was moving. And fast.

"You must help Iori!" Mitsuru shouted over the radio.

"On it!" Yukari replied. Still lying on the ground, she poked Minato in the side. "Could you, uh, please get off me?" Minato had fallen right on top of her, though he didn't really mind.

"Oh. Right." He stood up and helped Yukari up on her feet.

"Just a warning," Mitsuru said over the comms. "But you have five minutes before your train collides at 50 mph with another one. Find Iori and _defeat the sha-_ " Mitsuru's voice faded into static. Minato tried calling to her over the mic. No response. Looks like the comms were down for the time being.

Again, with a timing and coordination only matched in musicals, an army of masked shadows appeared out of nowhere. Their growls were only just audible over the screeching of the out-of-control train.

Minato brandished his sword and Yukari drew an arrow from her quiver. The archer sighed. "Let's go."

* * *

The two were killing shadows left and right, but they just kept coming. Wave after wave of shadows of all varieties: blobs, tables, squid-things. Minato could feel his breath starting to run out.

"So," Yukari yelled over to him while she was taking aim at a wall of black mass. "You and Mitsuru-senpai?"

"I already told you, there's nothing between us!" _Chop._ A shadow's head fell of its body and bounced before disintegrating.

"I heard the conversation! She definitely likes you!" _Thwack._ An arrow found its mark in a shadow's heart, and it clutched its chest and fell dramatically. Shakespeare would have been proud.

"Forget about it! She's just a friend!" _Stab._ Minato skewered three shadows with one thrust.

"Do you take naked pictures of all of your friends!? Io!" Yukari blasted a small group of shadows through the train window with a fierce gale.

"Wh-what are you talking about!? Of course not! Orpheus!" Half a dozen shadows ran for cover as a giant fireball shot towards them. _Boom_.

* * *

After slashing and shooting their way to the second-to-last car, they found Junpei cornered by a group of shadows. With the team reunited, it only took a moment to dispatch them.

"Thanks. I owe you guys," he said, a relieved smile on his face.

"Whatever, Stupei," said Yukari. "Please don't do that again."

Static could be heard over the comms. Mitsuru's voice was very fuzzy. _"The…shadow is…front car. You only…two minutes!"_

"Wait, what did she say?" Junpei asked, oblivious to their impending doom.

"She said go!"

Minato kicked down the door into the lead car and the three charged in. Then they just stood there for a bit, dumbfounded at what they saw.

At the center of the car was a feminine yet terrifying shadow with its legs spread wide. It was masked, and half of its nearly naked body was black, while the other half was white. Her, or its, chest was almost fully uncovered, with the letters "B" and "J" covering her, err, personas. Minato's feelings were an awkward mix of fear and arousal. Junpei was less ambiguous.

"Hey! B and J! I wonder what that stands for?" he said, making no effort to contain his laughter.

Yukari just groaned. "It stands for butthole Junpei," she said as she nocked an arrow and let it fly towards the womanly shadow.

"Hey! I resent that!"yelled Junpei as he and Minato charged after the loosed arrow.

* * *

With a final slash, the seductive shadow was no more, and faded into black mist and goo.

"Phew. That was a close one," said Yukari. But Minato felt that something wasn't right still.

Just then, the communications roared back to life.

"The train is still moving!" screamed Mitsuru into all of their ears. "You have to stop it manually!" It took a second for the three of them to realize the severity of what she had just said.

"I- I don't know how to stop a train!" shouted Junpei. "I just swing a sword!"

Yukari let out a high-pitched scream, closed her eyes, and put her hands together, apparently trying to pray. "If this is about that time I stole Junpei's soda, I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"

"Wait, that was YOU!?"

Minato glanced out the front window and saw distant lights rapidly becoming not-so-distant. Realizing his friends were next to useless, he ran to the front and looked around. There were three levers and over a dozen different buttons, all of which were different colors.

The once far lights were now almost blinding in the front car, and his teammates' screams didn't do much to help the situation. He took one look back. Junpei was panicking and running rampant around the car. And Yukari. Yukari, in her pretty pink sweatshirt, was in the corner holding her head. The look on her face made Minato's stomach drop like a stone. He'd seen that look once before.

His resolve strengthened, he turned back to the controls. Think Minato. Think. Find the brake. Red means stop right? Or was it red is dead? Green is good. But doesn't green mean go? What the Tartarus is purple!?

Minato felt like the lights ahead were about to crash straight through his head. Panicked and out of time, he picked a lever on a whim, closed his eyes, and pulled with the force of a thousand Akihikos.

 _Screeeeeeeeeeeeeech_

* * *

Screams and screeching were all Minato could hear as he tumbled forward into the ground face first and rolled like a dropped pencil. The loud screeching, as well as the screams, slowly quieted down after what felt like an hour.

Aching and confused, he was half-sure he had gone to heaven. His body felt very heavy, and he couldn't move. When he opened his eyes, however, it wasn't all white like he imagined the afterlife would be. It was…pink?

"Hey there, Yukari."

"Oh. Hello there Minato."

"Are you okay?"

"I think I'm fine."

"That's good. I'm think I'm okay too."

"That's great, Minato. Also, I would, uh, really appreciate it if you would get your face out of my chest."

As fast as he had gone down, Minato was back up on his feet. His face was bright red. The blue-haired hero laughed nervously. So he _had_ gone to heaven.

An equally embarrassed Yukari stood up on her own, fuming. Minato was sure he would have gotten slapped if he hadn't just saved their lives.

"Junpei?" Yukari shouted. "You okay?"

"A little help, please," called an unseen voice somewhere in the car. Minato almost burst out laughing when he saw Junpei in the corner of the train car. The once proud two-handed swordsman was now hanging upside-down by his feet from a mess of wires.

"Hmm," mused Yukari. "Maybe we'll leave you there for a bit longer, Stupei. As punishment."

"Hey!"

Minato heard a light static sound in his ear.

"Are you all alright?"

"We're fine, Mitsuru," responded Yukari. "Thanks to Minato here at least." Minato felt his cheeks burn up.

"C'est magnifique! I'm glad to say that no one was hurt during the operation," said Mitsuru, her tone more than hinting at pure relief. "Let's return home and get some rest. You've earned it."

As Yukari and Minato were slowly working at getting Junpei untangled, the pink-clad girl turned him and tilted her head.

"How did you know which lever to pull?"

Minato shrugged.

"It was a lucky guess."

* * *

 _He picked the pink lever._

* * *

 _The B and J on her breasts are taken directly from the Tarot card. They represent Boaz and Jachin, two copper pillars, which stood in the porch of Solomon's Temple._


	6. Io

_Jupiter's moon Io is the most volcanically active world in the Solar System, with hundreds of volcanoes, some erupting lava fountains dozens of miles (or kilometers) high. Io is caught in a tug-of-war between Jupiter's massive gravity and the smaller but precisely timed pulls from two neighboring moons that orbit further from Jupiter - Europa and Ganymede._

 _-Official NASA Website_

* * *

Chapter 6: Io

Something was off with Yukari. Even Minato, with his social awkwardness and quiet nature, could tell that something was off.

He saw the first hint at archery practice. A couple of days ago, Minato had dropped by to see Yukari at practice after school. It wasn't the first time he had done this: often, on nice, warm days, he sat by the archery range and read a book or simply watched Yukari at her craft. She was as graceful as a butterfly yet as accurate as a killer wasp, pulling back the bow string like she had practiced since she was a baby.

That day though, she drew back on her first arrow very aggressively. And she held it. And held it. Yukari was standing so still Minato wasn't even sure that she was still breathing. She kept holding. And then-

 _Snap._

Yukari's once beautiful bow exploded into a mess of of fibers and splinters.

Visibly upset, Yukari threw what remained of the bow on the ground and stampeded off, leaving her teammates and Minato shocked.

The second clue came in class the next day. Yukari, who sat in the front row directly ahead of Minato, was normally stellar when it came to paying attention in class. But that day, Yukari seemed to be zoning out and just staring out the window.

"Yukari Takeba! If you are not going to at least try to learn in class, you may leave the room!"

Yukari shot a glare at the teacher that could have scared Mitsuru, and the poor man flinched, ducking behind his desk in fear. Then she simply grabbed her bag and left the room, leaving the class in a state of uproar over how the social butterfly of their grade just ditched school.

Finally, there was Tartarus.

"Io!"

With her gun-shaped evoker next to her head, Yukari summoned her persona and blasted away a lone shadow with hurricane-level winds. Minato almost felt sorry for the bugger.

"Takeba, take it easy," advised Mitsuru. The senior tried to place a hand on the younger girl's shoulder, but Yukari pulled away.

"I'm fine," she said, though her ragged breathing said otherwise. An unfortunate duo of shadows turned the corner. Minato silently mouthed a warning. "Run."

"Io!"

* * *

"She's probably just on her period or something," said Junpei. "Girls are weird like that." He and Minato were walking to school at the moment. Yukari usually joined them, but she had declined their offer today.

" _I'm not feeling well. Go on to school without me," she said, with a forced smile Minato easily saw through._

Minato couldn't helped but be worried. "I think it's more than just that," he said, with an audible sigh at the end. Junpei lightly elbowed him in the ribs.

"Why don't you stay home and take care of your precious Yuka-tan then?" goaded Junpei, a wide grin painted across his face. Still walking, Minato grabbed Junpei's baseball cap off his head and threw it over the tall wooden fence next to them without so much as a second glance.

"Hey!"

* * *

Minato usually had trouble focusing in class, but today was the boss battle. The familiar pink sweatshirt that normally occupied the space directly in front of his vision was missing, and it was killing him. All he could do was stare at the door and hope that a certain brunette would appear and sit in her seat.

 _Tick. Tick. Tick._ Each second felt like an entire Dark Hour, except more tiring.

"Minato!" called the teacher. On instinct, Minato stood, ready to answer whatever he was asked.

"Name the four moons of Jupiter."

He sighed in relief: he knew this easily. "Europa, Callisto, Ganymede, and…" Minato scrunched his brow in thought. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't remember it.

The teacher motioned for him to sit down. "Very good, Minato. However, you are forgetting about Io."

Io?

The teacher pointed to a picture of a hot and rocky landscape on the board. "Io is the most volcanic moon in our solar system. It is constantly kept in chaos by the gravitational forces of the other moons pulling on it." He then proceeded to switch to a picture of a beautiful woman with long, flowing hair.

"Similarly, Io, in Greek mythology, suffered horribly at the hands of Hera, the goddess of women and marriage. Legend says that Zeus fell in love with her and turned her into a cow to hide her from Hera, but Hera, Zeus's wife, found out and eventually sent a fly to constantly harass her so she could never rest. That's just the mythology however. Other accounts say…"

Minato tuned out the rest of what he was saying. Now that he thought about it, Yukari fit that description eerily well. She seemed so on edge recently. But it was just a myth, right? Minato's mind flashed back to the events of the past days.

The broken bow.

The storming out of class.

The brutal murder of many innocent shadows.

Maybe Yukari really was hiding something. Something personal. Minato didn't like to probe, but he was honestly worried about her. In his head, he resolved that he would check up on her later.

* * *

 _Knock. Knock._

"Yukari?"

Minato heard rustling from inside the room. Thirty seconds passed before he heard a soft voice.

"Sorry, I don't feel like talking," the girl responded through the wooden door. "I'll see you tomorrow." Minato couldn't quite determine how she felt. Her tone was a painful mixture of depressed and distant.

Minato sighed. Briefly he considered going back to his room, but it had taken him far too long to gather the courage to knock on her door for him to turn away like that. It was now or never.

"I'm coming in, Yukari," he said as he grabbed the door handle and pushed. "Whether you want me to or not."

"He-hey! You can't do that!" she yelled from somewhere in the room. Minato pushed the door in and stepped inside the room, taking a quick look around as he did so.

Somehow Minato knew what her room would look like before he had ever stepped in it. Like he had imagined, the space was fairly feminine with pink and white making up most of the color palette. A vase of fresh flowers added a natural element to the room, while the full-size mirror in the corner was to be expected. The bed was also pink and white. The most noticeable feature of the room, however, was the girl sitting up on the bed.

Yukari was simply dressed in a white nightshirt and a black pair of soft shorts. Her cheeks and eyes were bright red and puffy, and her hair was a complete mess. Minato wished he could have frozen time and stared at her forever: he had never seen her so delicate and adorable.

Clearly, however, she had been crying. Crying a lot, actually, if the number of discarded tissues around the room was an indicator. Minato didn't know what to say; what _could_ he say?

Yukari took the burden of breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

"What are you doing in my room, Minato?" she asked. The way her slightly damp eyes looked straight at his almost melted his heart on the spot. But her annoyed tone made it clear she was being serious.

"I- uh, well I thought that, uh, you might need some…company?" was all that Minato managed to get out as he stumbled over his words. Yukari had a talent for preventing his brain from functioning correctly.

Yukari paused for a second, as if deep in thought, then flashed a smile much more genuine than the one in the morning. "Alright," she said. She signaled for Minato to come sit down next to her on the bed. He nodded and joined her.

"I'm sorry if I've been…weird lately," Yukari said quietly, her hands idly playing with her brown hair. "I've been going through a lot."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Again, she paused. It was almost like she was planning out the conversation before it even happened.

"No," she said after careful deliberation. "I think I'll be okay. But thanks."

Minato opened his mouth to respond but found himself taken by surprise as the girl in the white nightshirt wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

 _Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

Shut up, heart.

 _Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

This hug wasn't like the one in the hospital.

 _Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

Minato took in as much of Yukari as he could in that brief frame of time. Her skin: smooth and warm. Her hair: as fragrant as the vase of flowers resting in the corner. Her breathing: light and soft, like the bed they were sitting on.

He felt like Yukari took part of his heart with her when she let go and pulled away.

They sat there awkwardly for a while, both unsure of what to say. Minato glanced down at his watch and realized how late it was.

"I- I better get going."

"O-okay."

"S-so you'll come to school tomorrow?"

"O-of course."

"...See you then."

"...Thanks, Minato."

 _Click._

The door clicked shut behind Minato and he sank into the nearby wall and sighed. Even if she didn't want to talk about it, he would be there for her. Maybe Yukari was highly unstable and possibly volcanic, but that made her all the more beautiful.

* * *

 _At first Io was afraid to speak, for fear she should low, but gradually she recovered her confidence and was restored._

 _-Thomas Bulfinch's story of Io from_ _The Age of Fable_


	7. Triangle Spread

_Full Definition of triangle_

 _1: a polygon having three sides — compare [spherical triangle]_

 _2: a) a percussion instrument consisting of a rod of steel bent into the form of a triangle open at one angle and sounded by striking with a small metal rod_

 _b) a drafting instrument consisting of a thin flat right-angled triangle of wood or plastic with acute angles of 45 degrees or of 30 degrees and 60 degrees_

 _ **3: a situation in which one member of a couple is involved in a love affair with a third person***_

 _-Merriam-Webster Dictionary_

* * *

Chapter 7: Triangle Spread

 _"Arisato. Have you finished those forms yet?"_

 _"Hey Minato! Do you want to go get a bite to eat?"_

 _"I'm really counting on you to lead the team, Arisato. Make sure everyone is getting enough training. We should go to Tartarus tonight."_

 _"Could you help me with the math homework Minato? I couldn't pay attention today even though I was sitting in the front. Whoops."_

 _"I believe my fencing skills have deteriorated recently. Could I ask you to spar with me tonight?"_

 _"Ughhh Minato my head is killing me. Could you do me a favor and run down to the pharmacy?"_

 _"Please join me in the shower Arisato."_

 _"Let's make love all night, Minato!"_

Minato felt like he had heard all of these and then some within the last week. Excluding the last two of course.

As crazy as he was about Yukari, he couldn't help but feel like it was his duty to help Mitsuru-senpai. She worked very hard for S.E.E.S. and the student council, and he wanted to do the same. Not to mention he still felt guilty about "the incident". But doing everything he could do for both of them was really starting to take a toll on him.

"He promised we were going to go to karaoke tonight!"

"My apologies Takeba, but I clearly remember Arisato promising to assist me in fixing the computer in the command room tonight."

"Minato told _me_ that we were going to hang out tonight _yesterday_."

"I believe he said that he would help _me_ this evening _two_ days ago. So there you have it. And he also promised to help me polish my fencing skills tomorrow night."

"He said that he could tutor me in English tomorrow night!"

The two girls, one on each side of a very tired Minato, turned their rage onto him. He sank into the couch, unsure of what to say.

"Well? What's it going to be?"

"Arisato. Tell her that you have obligations to fulfill for the team."

"Please, come on! Let's go!"

"I would greatly appreciate your help."

Minato was being bombarded by pleading stares from both sides. Sweat was starting to run down his neck and under his shirt. He gulped.

His voice came out as little more than a whisper. "I…"

Mitsuru and Yukari leaned in closer.

"I…"

*leaning intensifies*

"Igottago!" he shouted as he sprang up and ran out the front door.

* * *

"Well now," said the white-haired woman seated at the lone table in the room. "I don't really see the problem."

Minato had retreated to the Velvet Room, a secret area that only he could access. The Velvet Room was said to exist "between mind and matter," and was where Minato came to manage his wide variety of personas. It took the appearance of the inside of an elevator, with an out-of-control clock occupying the spot the floor indicator would normally be. Elizabeth, the white-haired attendant of the Velvet Room, was seated with her legs crossed in one of the two chairs in the room. Her dark blue uniform matched the surrounding carpet and walls.

Elizabeth said, "To my understanding, males in your world strive to have as many mates as possible. Is this not correct?"

Minato sighed. He wasn't sure why he had come to Elizabeth for advice. She hardly knew anything about the outside world, let alone relationships in it. "Not exactly," he responded. "Usually each person has one other person that they want to have a relationship with. Where did you hear that anyway, Elizabeth?"

"I read about it in this research book." She held up a magazine with a scantily dressed woman on the cover.

"That's Sports Illustrated, Elizabeth. Probably not the best source of information."

"Oh, I see. Here, I'll give it to you to keep then," she said as she place it in his hand.

"Err, thanks, I guess." He put the magazine in his backpack and zipped it up. Hopefully no one went looking through his stuff in the near future…

"So you must make a choice?" inquired Elizabeth.

"I guess. I don't really want to though. I like Yukari and want to be with her, but I don't want to abandon Mitsuru-senpai either."

Elizabeth wagged a finger in Minato's face. "Tsk, tsk. When you first came to Iwatodai, you signed a contract with my master," she said in a mock-motherly tone. "Do you remember what it said?"

"Take responsibility for my choices or something, right?"

"Exactly! So pick whoever your heart desires most."

"Whoever my heart desires most, huh?" Minato muttered. Confidence building, he stood up, a smile on his face. "Yeah, that's right! I'm going to go tell Mitsuru that I need to be with Yukari!" He shouted over his shoulder as he ran for the door and left. "Thanks for the advice, Elizabeth!" She smiled and waved back happily.

As he boarded the monorail back to the dorm, his chest was brimming was excitement and confidence. "I'm going to decide what I want to do for once," he thought to himself. "I'm going to be with Yukari, and no one is going to stop me!"

* * *

"Is that so, Arisato?"

Minato gulped. "Y-yeah. I promised Yukari that I would tutor her tomorrow night, and I don't want to leave her hanging," he said shakily. He suddenly wondered if he had dropped his confidence somewhere on the train. "After all, you said that I should be helping the team right?"

Mitsuru, whose door he had knocked on and entered, was sitting down by her desk, idly brushing her long red hair. While Minato had expected her to be upset, she instead simply looked…sad.

"Yes…I suppose I did say that," she said as she brought up her gaze to meet Minato's. He averted his, heart beating abnormally fast. The senior let out a soft sigh. "Very well. You are the team leader after all, Arisato, so your judgement is final."

Relief flooded through Minato: he hadn't been executed. "Thank you, senpai," he said with an appreciative nod of his head. As he turned and grabbed the door handle, however, he heard a much louder sigh.

"I guess I'll get by practicing my fencing by myself again, as I usually do…"

Minato froze. He glanced behind him, back at Mitsuru, but she had returned her attention to her mirror and brushing her hair. "She's so beautiful," he thought to himself as he saw her gently straightening the red locks that ran down her shoulder and back. Yukari was also very attractive, but Mitsuru had an elegance and refinement that the younger girl lacked. Minato was about to open his mouth to say something, but held back. No. He had made his choice. He pulled on the door handle and took one step out of the room.

"After all, I just want to be able to protect you all. Akihiko, Iori, Takeba. And you, _Minato_."

The blue-haired junior sighed. His one weakness. He stepped back into the room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

"Aw, are you sure Minato?"

Yukari was assaulting Minato with the saddest puppy-dog look she could muster, and his defenses were starting to break. He silently wondered if he could have a heart attack in his teens. Probably, he thought, with the amount of stress he was going through today. Minato got off his stool and turned his eyes away.

"I'm really sorry Yukari. But Mitsuru-senpai really needs help with her fencing so she'll be better in battle," he responded wearily. "We can work on English some other time, right?"

The girl in the pink sweatshirt crossed her arms and puffed out her chest. Minato thought his own chest was about to explode. God, she was cute when she did that.

"Fine. I guess I'll get my friend from the archery team to help me," she said with a huff as she turned and started to walk towards the stairs. Minato returned to his seat and put his head down on the counter, exhausted. Sigh. Girls.

Yukari, who was now halfway up the stairs, shouted down, "He's really smart! He has all A's!"

"Good for him," Minato responded half-heartedly, still face down on the marble.

"And he's pretty cute too! I might go out on a date with him next Sunday!" yelled Yukari, now from the second floor staircase.

Minato peeked his head up. "I'm sorry, okay? Cut me some slack!" He heard loud steps followed by a door slamming. And then it was silent.

Finally, he thought. Some peace and quiet. Hopefully she was kidding about that guy. He put his head down and returned to his attempt to fall asleep on the counter.

…

"And he has really nice blue hair! Probably better than yours!" That sounded like it came all the way from her room.

…Minato was up faster than Junpei could fail a test.

"Hey!" he shouted as he stormed up the stairs. "Yukari!"

* * *

"Oh my. It sounds like you've had quite the evening," Elizabeth said.

Now face down on the lone table in the Velvet Room, Minato responded, "I can't choose. I can't just pick one. I'm too easily influenced."

"Who do you love more? The Lover, or the Empress?"

The Lover. Minato thought back to the hug in the hospital room, and back to the hug in Yukari's room. He loved Yukari of course. He always had.

But then there was the Empress. He remembered the picture. Remembered seeing the long red hair flowing down Mitsuru's elegant figure in her room. Remembered how it made him feel when she called him by his first name. He gulped. Did he like Mitsuru-senpai also?

Elizabeth let out a gentle laugh. "If you cannot choose one, there is always an alternative," she said. Minato looked up from his depression.

"What alternative?"

The white-haired woman brought her face uncomfortably close. Besides her hair, she was quite young-looking. Minato had no idea how old she actually was: time didn't seem to function normally in the Velvet Room. Her appearance was that of a woman in her early to mid-20s. And sometimes, her behavior made her seem even younger.

"Have you ever heard of the ritual known as the Triangle Spread?" she asked him, a dangerous glint in her striking yellow eyes.

"Uh, no."

To Minato's relief, Elizabeth pulled away from him and stood up. She closed her eyes and began stroking her chin as if she had a large and magnificent beard.

"The Triangle Spread is a very powerful ritual that involves the combination of three beings into a singular, more complete one," she exclaimed in a mysterious and swooning tone. "It has been practiced by civilizations as ancient as the Sumerians and as strong as the Romans. Virtually every culture has some variety of the Triangle Spread, including Japan."

Now it was getting interesting. Minato perked up. "So you're saying this can make me closer to both Mitsuru and Yukari?

She nodded. "Of course. The fusion of the Fool, the Lover, and the Empress would create a bond extremely difficult to break."

Minato was getting excited. Maybe this way all three of them could get along! He took a pen and a notebook out of his backpack and opened to a blank page. "How do I perform this ritual, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth continued to musingly stroke her nonexistent beard. "Well, the first step would be to find a suitable location. In past times palaces and mansions were common places to carry it out, but in modern times it can be done virtually anywhere. I would suggest either a bedroom or a hotel, for privacy." Minato wrote down every word attentively, and asked her to continue.

Hands on her hips, she assumed a very proud and imposing pose. "The next step would be to gather the participants. It is up to you to get them to to agree to the ritual, but popular offerings have been chocolates, wines, and flowers." Chocolates, wines, and flowers. Minato copied the words down, with only a small voice in the back of his mind beginning to question Elizabeth's instructions.

"Finally," Elizabeth boldly proclaimed, this time from on top of the table, "You will need to gather the materials necessary for fusion! Pay attention, as this step is very important!" Minato nodded eagerly.

"Most of the materials can be obtained from any pharmacy, such as the one in Paulownia Mall. You will need condoms, lubricant, maybe some other stimu-"

Minato dropped his pen mid-sentence, hand shaking. Trembling, he slowly asked, "Elizabeth?...Are you talking about...you know…" Even in the blue light of the room, his face was clearly colored red.

She put her hands on her cheeks and adopted an offended look. "That's step five! Before that you need to prepare the mood and-"

 _Bonk._

Minato smacked her on the head with his notebook. "I thought this was some magic ritual, not a threesome!" he shouted angrily. His face was burning with a mix of embarrassment and rage.

"Some say it is magical!" she said, rubbing her head to ease the pain. "I read all about it in a research book."

"What book!? No, wait, never mind. I don't even want to know." Minato sighed and sat back down, face still beet-red. So much for that. He was in disbelief that Elizabeth had just said any of that to him. It was ridiculous! He couldn't even imagine having a…three…some…with Yukari… _and_ Mitsuru. Y-yeah, no way!

He let out a groan and leaned tiredly into his chair. "You're crazy Elizabeth. There's no way I could do that."

"Oh my," the attendant said as she suddenly appeared behind Minato and wrapped her arms around his chest. Minato froze.

Her words were a whisper that seemed to come from right next to his ears. "It's so noble of you to refuse to have two women at the same time, Minato! So gallant and romantic! Perhaps we should make it a Cross Spread instead of a Triangle Spread…"

"E-E-ELIZABETH!"

* * *

 _Love Triangle_

 _When two people both love a third person, and that third often loves them both. The object of their love may be conflicted as to whom he/she wants, and generally nobody emerges from these very happy. Love Triangles, as it is widely agreed, really f***ing suck._

 _Movies (And the overly perverted force some call fate) tend to resolve Love Triangles by killing off the less-hot suitor._

 _-Urban Dictionary_


	8. Running in Circles

_Never gonna give you up_

 _Never gonna let you down_

 _Never gonna run around and desert you_

 _-Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up"_

* * *

Chapter 8: Running in Circles

It was a pleasant day in Iwatodai. The spring weather was just warm enough so that it was comfortable to be outside without a jacket. The flowers were blooming. The birds were beginning to sing their melodies. And on the roof of Gekkoukan High School, two (hopefully future) love birds were enjoying lunch together.

"Hey, Minato?"

The blue-haired hero swallowed a bite of his sandwich before speaking. "What's up?" he said.

"I heard you joined the track team. How's that going?" asked Yukari with a pleasant smile.

Minato stared at her for moment, clueless, until it came back to him. Right. He had joined the track team at the beginning of the spring at the urging of Akihiko-senpai. Though he hadn't actually gone to any practices…

"It's, uh, going great," he lied meekly.

"Well," Yukari started. "Do your best! They're counting on you, Minato." She flashed her signature smile, a smile more powerful than all of Minato's personas combined.

"R-right," he said nervously, heart almost jumping out of his body. "I'll do my best."

"Good!" she exclaimed. The warning bell rang and Yukari stood up. "I'll see you later," she said as she turned away, a heart-melting smile still on her face.

Minato took a deep breath. He would go to practice today. For Yukari. Anyway, track couldn't be _that_ bad. It was a pleasant spring day. The weather was warm, the flowers were blooming, the birds were chirping, and-

* * *

The rain was really starting to get heavy now. Minato had wanted to drop out of the workout ever since someone had fallen into a rain-filled pothole on the track and disappeared without a trace. But his class friend and rival, Kazushi, wouldn't let him.

"It's just a little water! No one has ever been hurt by that!" Tell that to the poor freshman six feet underwater.

What great luck. The perfect spring day had just been the calm before a massive downpour. Minato wasn't even sure he was running in the right direction: the rain made it impossible to see more than three feet in front of him. He had the uneasy feeling that he was about to run right into a-

 _Smack._ "Ow!"

Wall. Wait. Walls didn't scream. But Minato didn't have much time to think about that as he fell forward onto something…soft? Walls weren't soft either. Or warm.

Minato looked down and saw that he had run straight into a girl and fallen right on top of her. To make things worse, they had landed in a huge puddle. Though her skin was rich and dark, her face was clearly red, either with embarrassment or rage. Probably the latter. Minato rolled himself off of her and, too shocked to apologize, gulped. He was _definitely_ going to get slapped this time.

The girl, however, hopped back on her feet nimbly and offered a hand to help him up. He took it and stood with her help, still too stunned to speak.

"Sorry about that," she said, face still a little blush. "I shouldn't have been standing on the track." Why was she apologizing? He was the one who had basically tackled her.

"No, it was my bad. I should have watched where I was going," he responded sheepishly. Minato was the one blushing now. As he took a closer look at her, he realized that she was quite cute, not to mention she seemed to be very kind-hearted.

She smiled at him and said, "I was just going to tell the team to get off the track. The weather is too bad to be running right now. After all, it's my job as manager to look after you guys." Manager?

Seeing the confused look on Minato's face, she said, "Oh, I don't think we've been formally introduced yet. I'm Yuko Nishiwaki, the track team manager."

Minato nodded. "Sorry, Yuko," he said, head tilted down in guilt. "How can I make it up to you?"

"Well, how about lunch sometime?" Huh?

She laughed. "You're pretty cute, and it's the least you could do for getting me all wet like this."

…

"I-I meant the collision, and the puddle!"

"Y-yeah, uh, I know." They were both bright red.

"Let's just get out of the rain," Yuko said, averting her gaze.

"What about Kazushi?" asked Minato. His classmate was still dutifully running laps in the equivalent of a minor hurricane.

Yuko shrugged. "Eh, leave him. I'm sure he'll be alright."

* * *

Despite being soaked to the bone, Minato swaggered into the dorm lobby with a wide grin on his face. Yukari, who was laying down on the couch, noticed his smugness and laughed.

"Hey Minato. Have a good time at track practice?" she asked.

Minato nodded. "I met this girl, Yuko, and it seems like we really get along. I kinda got her soaked at practice today, so I owe her a lunch on Sunday," he said with a laugh.

Yukari frowned and sat up. She said, "I thought we were going to hang out this Sunday."

The blue-haired boy's mood slightly dampened. That had slipped his mind.

Minato apologized. "Sorry, Yukari. But, I mean, we can always hang out some other time, right?"

"Oh alright, if you say so. How about tomorrow night?"

"Oh, uh…" Minato started. "The track team is getting a bite to eat together after practice tomorrow, so I can't."

Yukari sighed and flopped back down on the couch. She paused a moment, seemingly in deep thought. Memories of the time he had tried to talk to Yukari in her room flooded back to Minato. To him, it seemed like she always tried to plan everything she said before she said it. Especially when it came to personal matters.

About thirty seconds of silence aside from the harsh thumping of rain against the rooftop passed before Yukari spoke.

"Do you like Yuko, Minato?"

"Huh?" Her question caught him off guard: Yukari typically wasn't the nosy type.

He took a page from her book and worded his answer carefully. "I mean, she's really nice, and she's cute, but I think we're just friends."

"Oh," she said. Oh?

"Well," she muttered, nervously twiddling her thumbs. "I just want to warn you that she's had a lot of boyfriends in the past."

"So?"

Still laying down on the couch, Yukari exhaled. "I just don't want you to get hurt or anything."

Minato laughed, uncomfortably conscious of how fast his heart rate was getting. Was he just imagining it, or was Yukari actually _worried_ about him?

"I-"

"Aw, don't listen to her, man," said a voice behind Minato. "Yuka-tan is just _jealous_."

Yukari shot up and Minato turned his head to find the source of the surprise conversation intruder. It was none other than Junpei Iori, who was resting his feet on the table behind the main lobby check-in counter.

"Junpei!" shouted Yukari. "How long have you been listening!?"

"Hmm, I think since 'Hey Minato'. You're cute when you're worried and jealous, Yuka-tan," Junpei replied, a smug grin on his face.

"S-shut up, Stupei!" she yelled angrily, loud enough to earn them an annoyed banging from Akihiko, who was one floor above them.

"I'm not jealous!" she said quieter but still filled with rage. Her face was a shade of pink and red darker than her iconic pink sweatshirt. "He can go on all the dates he wants. I don't care!" Flustered, she stormed out the door and into the, well, storm. Minato briefly thought about going after her, but wisely decided it would be best to leave her alone for a bit.

Scratching his head, Junpei grumbled, "Jeeze, I didn't think Yuka-tan was so emotional." Minato simply sighed. Were they even talking about the same girl? Minato wanted to be angry at Junpei for his insensitivity and lack of tact, but he couldn't bring himself to get mad at his friend. That was just how Junpei was: big-mouthed and sometimes clueless.

"Wanna play some Smash Bros?"

Minato shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

* * *

"Shoes. Shoes. Where the Tartarus are my shoes!?"

That Sunday morning, Minato's normally neat room was a mess of clothes, books, and other assorted items. He had virtually torn the place apart looking for his one and only pair of sneakers. The lunch was in thirty minutes, and there was _no way_ he was going to go barefoot.

He had been looking for over an hour: he had searched his room, the lobby, the staircase, and even Junpei's room. Minato had even considered wearing Junpei's shoes, which he had inexplicably not taken with him this morning when he left the dorm, but they _reeked._

Minato was about to give up and call Yuko when he heard a light _knock knock_ at his door. The door opened by itself and Yukari stepped into his cluttered room, one hand hidden behind her back.

"Hey Mina…to. What happened here?" she asked, a curious look on her face.

Minato shook his head, frustrated. "I can't find my shoes, and I have to be at lunch with Yuko in less than half an hour. Have you seen them?"

"Hmm." Yukari pondered the question for a brief second. "Sorry. Haven't seen them."

Exasperated, Minato groaned and plopped down on his bed. "I'll have to call and tell Yuko I can't make it."

"That's too bad Minato. And you were really looking forward to this too." Minato swore he heard a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"But," she began, "maybe we can hang out today now." The ends of her lips had a slight curve that gave her a devious yet adorable look. Minato was unsure of what to think about this, so he just shrugged.

"I don't have any shoes, so it's not like we can go anywhere or do anything really."

Yukari mock-gasped. "Oh, that's right! Well, lucky for you," she began to say as she revealed her left hand from behind her back. "I rented some movies for us to watch at home!" In her possession were at least half a dozen DVD cases, most of which were for romantic comedies.

Minato stood there, shocked. "Err, why do you have so many movies?"

Yukari over-exaggerated a sigh. "Since you were going to be busy, I was just going to watch all of these by myself. But now that you're free, we can hang out and watch them together!" she exclaimed with her signature smile. She grabbed a DVD and put it in the player under Minato's TV, then flopped herself down right next to him on the bed.

He gave in to her antics, and sighed, a smile on his face. "Although I'm 90% sure you had something to do with my shoes, I would be happy to hang out with you today."

"Alright!" Yukari beamed back at him and wrapped her arms around him in a friendly hug. Minato hoped she couldn't feel his heart pounding as much as he could.

" _Don't you ever ditch me again,"_ he thought he heard. It was as faint as a whisper. His heart rate doubled. D-did Yukari say that? Or was it just the…movie?...

Still locked in embrace with Yukari, Minato suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and remembered something important. "Yuko! I have to call her!" he said, panicked. He stretched his arm out behind Yukari and tried to grab his phone.

He caught a glimpse of a frown on Yukari's face, but was quickly distracted as she pushed him over and pinned him down. On the bed. Minato's imagination began exploding with hypotheses and possibilities. Fully aware of the red on his cheeks and the close proximity of their bodies, he managed to sputter out a few words.

"W-what are you doing, Y-Yukari?"

She playfully laughed. "I thought _we_ were hanging out today. So let's do that. Just us." She got off of Minato and sat up, grinning sheepishly. "Besides, I think Yuko will be okay."

* * *

Yuko sighed. She hadn't expected to be stood up, especially by someone as nice of Minato. But she couldn't wait at Iwatodai Station forever.

"Oh well," she said to no one in particular. "I'd better get goin- huh?" A tall boy in a baseball cap was approaching her and trying to get her attention.

"Sup babe," he said, a cocky smile on his face. "Minato can't make it today, so he sent me instead." Junpei pointed to his shoes, doing his best to show them off. "Do you like my new kicks?"

* * *

" _The course of true love never did run smooth."_

 _-William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"_


	9. Ghosts, Gangsters, and Girls

_There are some ghost stories in Japan where - when you are sitting in the bathroom in the traditional style of the Japanese toilet - a hand is actually starting to grab you from beneath. It's a very scary story._

 _-Shigeru Miyamoto_

* * *

Chapter 9: Ghosts, Gangsters, and Girls

Junpei was on the ground holding his bloody nose. Yukari was hiding behind Minato and grabbing his shoulders, almost using him as a shield. And Minato himself was frozen in fear, his elevated heart-rate pulsing through his head.

"You Gekko kids don't belong around here!"

"I'm about to kick some arse!"

Two menacing figures in black overcoats were cornering them, one with an object that looked terrifyingly like a knife.

Minato swallowed and resisted the urge to scream. How on earth had they gotten into this situation?

* * *

 _One week earlier_

"There's no such thing as ghosts."

"Oh, then why did you sleep with the lights on yesterday, Yuka-tan?"

"S-shut up Stupei! And how would you know that anyway?!"

The underclassmen trio had been on their way to school that Monday morning when they had overheard two girls nervously whispering about the possibility of "ghosts" haunting Gekkoukan high school. Although the girls turned down another street and were now out of sight, the topic stuck with the group.

Junpei just shrugged off Yukari's question. "How else can you explain all of the disappearances and absences at school? Everyone has been talking about it! It can only be _ghosts_!" he said as he ran his fingers across Yukari's shoulder like a spider.

 _Slap_. "Ow!"

Yukari huffed and turned away, arms crossed. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all of it. Maybe there's just a cold going around," she replied. "What do you think, Minato?"

Minato just shrugged. He had no opinion really. And ghosts weren't all that interesting to him anyway.

"The real problem with this school is bullying," Yukari said as her gaze drifted off. "I heard these two girls talking badly about a girl in our grade. Fuuka Yamagishi. And it made me so angry!" Her last statement was basically a shout, and people on the street were starting to stare. Minato and Junpei shot each other confused glances.

"Whatever," Yukari sighed. "I'm getting annoyed with all this ghost nonsense, so I'm going to prove to Stupei and everyone else they don't exist," she said, a determined look in her eyes. Yukari turned to her two friends. "And you guys are going to help me."

Junpei, still rubbing the spot on his face where he had been slapped, laughed. "Alright. If we find out that this school is infested with killer spirits or something, feel free to come sleep in my room."

 _ **Slap.**_ "Ow! Not on my good side!"

* * *

At the end of the week, the three gathered in the dorm living room to report on their findings.

"Alright," Yukari said commandingly. "You first, Junpei."

"Huh, me?" He had a confused look on his face. "Well, uh, all the people who went missing from school were girls…so…the ghost must be a pervert!" Junpei shouted, as if he had just realized something amazing. Yukari simply sighed.

"Well, you got one part right: all of the absences have been girls. But there is no ghost. And the only pervert is YOU."

"Hey, what about Minato!? Yesterday I saw him looking at the new issue of Sports Illustr-mmm!" Minato had put his hand over Junpei's mouth and was threatening to push him off the couch.

The blue-haired hero smiled sheepishly while he and Junpei struggled. "Please continue, Yukari."

Yukari gave the two boys a curious stare. "Anyways…I found out after doing some digging that all these girls had one other thing in common: they all hung out in the same spot, outside a mahjong bar," she said as she took out a map detailing the surrounding area. "We're going there to investigate." Yukari pointed to a grey block.

Junpei and Minato stopped their fighting, and Junpei's usual goofy grin was replaced by a grimace. "You mean that sketchy place behind Port Island Station? No way in Tartarus am I going there," he replied grimly. "That's where all of the gangs hang out."

Yukari groaned. "Don't be a wimp, Junpei. If you aren't scared of ghosts, why are you scared of a couple of tough guys?"

"Because ghosts don't carry knives and guns, but these guys _do_." Junpei turned to Minato. "Come on man, tell her that she's crazy," he said pleadingly.

Yukari asked softly, "Minato, you wouldn't let me go alone, would you?" Minato made the mistake of making eye contact.

It was no contest.

"If Yukari wants to go, I'll go with her," he said. "Sorry, Junpei."

Junpei let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, fine, I'll help you guys out. But if we get _shot_ , it's on you Yukari."

Yukari simply grinned. "Thanks guys. We'll meet here tomorrow at 9:00 and head down there."

They confirmed the plans, and Junpei and Yukari headed off to their rooms, leaving Minato alone on the couch. He let out a deep breath. It couldn't be that dangerous. No one had ever been hurt by gang violence.

* * *

"Ow! Hey!" Junpei shouted as he fell to the concrete, drops of red beginning to run down his lower face.

And that's how they ended up here, in this dark and dirty corner, at 10:00 on a school night, with two strangers about to punch their faces in. Or at least Junpei's.

"Oy! I'll fookin shank ya mate!" Minato gulped. How was that accent even possible in Japanese?

Minato's right hand was in his back pocket, fingering his evoker. Maybe he could scare them off with it…

Yukari was still clutching onto Minato. Her knees were shaking. "H-hey, back off! We'll call the cops!"

The smaller of the two gangsters grinned sickeningly. "Guess we'll just have to shut you up before that then, right b*tch?"

Minato felt the hands on his shoulders tense. Rage building, he let go of his evoker and clenched his hand into a fist. If he was going to go out, defending Yukari wouldn't be a bad way to do it.

As he tightened his arm and got ready to deliver a sucker punch that would have made Akihiko proud however, an unfamiliar voice called out from behind the two thugs.

"Hey. Leave them alone." The voice was surprisingly calm given the tension of the situation.

"Huh?" Everyone turned to see a tall, slim figure in a dark red coat emerge from the dim shadows.

"What are ya goin on about Shinjiro? You roll with these losers?" questioned one of the gangsters as he nodded towards the three underclassmen.

The third stranger, apparently named Shinjiro, showed no recognition of the question.

"I said, beat it."

The taller thug with the thick accent shouted. "Oy, mate, who dooya think ya are, fookin tellin us what to do!?" Knife in hand, the large figure rushed towards him.

Oh crap, Minato thought, mind racing. That guy is done for.

To his surprise, the red-coated boy easily dodged, and flipped his attacker straight onto the ground.

"H-hey, let's get the hell out of here!" the shorter man yelled as he ran off into an alleyway, leaving his speech-impaired friend to chase after him.

When the chaos had died down and the fleeing footsteps were all but silent, their savior shuffled over, back hunched at a probably unhealthy angle.

"What the hell are you guys doing here? This place isn't for kids like you."

Minato and Junpei were unsure of what to say and stayed quiet, but Yukari boldly spoke up.

"W-we want to know about the rumors! The disappearances, the "ghosts"!"

Shinjiro snorted, an exasperated look on his long face. "Tchh, that garbage?"

* * *

"So…these girls who went missing…they were bullying Fuuka?" Yukari said uncertainly. Minato wasn't sure how to respond. It was just the two of them now: after Shinjiro had told them all he knew and told them never to come back, Junpei had gone off to the pharmacy to get bandages for his bloody nose.

The monorail car was completely empty except for the two of them. Even though the car was fairly new, a cold draft could be felt running through the train. Minato shivered, his hands in his pockets and his eyes unfocused as he stared out the window into the night. They sat in silence, neither knowing what to say. It sent a jolt through Minato when a soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"I-I'm sorry. About everything."

Minato turned, only to see that Yukari was no longer sitting next to him. Instead, she was standing at the front of the still-moving car, her gaze fixed solely on him and her fingers idly wrapped around a metal safety bar. She looked beautiful in the dim light of the train and the night, but a chill in the air seemed to accompany her stare. Minato stood and met her eyes.

"About what?"

Yukari paused for a moment, deep in thought. It must be important, Minato silently recognized.

"Everything." Her voice was quiet and barely audible over the sound of metal sliding over the tracks below them. "I'm sorry about the times you had to save my life. I'm sorry that I stopped you from going on your date with Yuko. I'm sorry about tonight. I'm sorry that I…" Her words trailed off, leaving only the _click click click_ of the train over the steel tracks.

Yukari closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, a deep breath out, and continued. "I just don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"Yukari I lo-"

"Minato, you don't understand what it's like! To lose someone you care about! Hell, I almost got you killed today! I almost got all of us killed!" Her whispers had grown into full shouts, and the safety bar she was holding threatened to snap in two.

He didn't understand. Fists clenched and face contorted, Minato retaliated. He shouted, "You think I wasn't worried? You think I don't know what it's like to lose someone important to me? Why do you think I follow you around!?" His breathing was heavy, and sweat was starting to run down his neck even though the car had only gotten colder.

"I don't need a bodyguard! I don't need someone to help me! I don't need you, Minato." Her tone was like a sheet of ice: cold, but cracking around the edges. The train came to a stop and an annoyingly cheerful automated voice announced, "Iwatodai Station."

The doors opened and Yukari rushed out, hiding her face. But there was no doubt about it: she was crying. And her face as she had shakily said those last words: a mirror of the night on the rooftop. A mirror of the night he had saved her life for the first time. A mirror of the night he had fallen in love her.

Minato was too shocked to move, too shocked to think. As the doors closed he returned to his seat and put his hands to his head, forcing himself to take deep breaths. He felt like Yukari had shot an arrow through his stomach, creating a wound so deep and painful he couldn't feel it. Her parting words rang like cemetery bells in Minato's head: _"I don't need you, Minato."_

He scoffed. He didn't need her either.

* * *

When Minato got back to the dorm late that night, no one in the main room except Junpei, who was nursing his bruise.

Skipping the usual greeting, Junpei leaned backwards over the couch, ice bag over his nose. "Dude, what happened to Yuka-tan? She ran straight to her room when she got back and hasn't come out since," he said, muffled. He took a lone finger and poked Minato in the side irritatingly. "Yo, you didn't tell her that you…you know…"

 _ **SMACK.**_

* * *

 _Orpheus, in a moment of forgetfulness, to assure himself that she was still following, cast a glance behind him, when instantly she was borne away. Stretching out their arms to embrace one another they grasped only the air._

 _-Thomas Bulfinch's "Orpheus and Eurydice"_


	10. Damsel in Distress

_Damsel in Distress:_

 _A character, usually female, is put into immediate danger in order to put the cast in motion. Her plight unites the cast, causing them to put aside their differences and work together to save her or provide the premise for The Quest._

 _-TVtropes_

* * *

Chapter 10: Damsel in Distress

Minato, Junpei, and Yukari could only stand by and watch helplessly as Mitsuru mercilessly battered and massacred her enemy.

"You KNEW this girl was being bullied, but you just stood by and watched?"

"I- err, for the good of the school I-"

"For the good of the school? Ridiculous. You should be ashamed to call yourself a teacher."

"Calm down, Ms. Kirijo! I did what I thought was be-"

"Get out of my office."

"But this is my office!"

"I said, get out."

The terrified man sheepishly stood up out of his seat and exited the room, tail between his legs. Mitsuru took his spot at the desk and sat down, putting her legs up.

"Iori, please go fetch Moriyama from her homeroom and bring her here. We need to have a talk with her," she said authoritatively.

Junpei stood at attention and saluted. "Of course, supreme empress of destruction!" he responded before hurriedly making his way out of the room, fearing the potential icicle. That left just Minato, Yukari, and the icy execution queen herself in the small office.

Minato fidgeted nervously, and Yukari avoided looking in his direction. Sensing something was off, Mitsuru asked, "Is something going on between you two?"

"Nope!"

"We're fine!"

Their response was as harmonized as it was too quick. Mitsuru sighed. "Is it a lovers' quarrel? I do remember hearing some yelling late last night."

Yukari instantly stood up, shouting protests and obscenities, and Minato suddenly found the floor pattern very intriguing. The red-haired senior only laughed and waved dismissively.

"I was just kidding. Still, however, I cannot afford to have unrest amongst my subjects."

"You know you're not _actually_ a queen, right Mitsuru?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Could you repeat it a little louder?"

"Uh..."

Luckily for Minato, Junpei decided to return at that moment. With him was Natsuki Moriyama, a girl from a different class who had bullied another student, Fuuka Yamagishi. Minato genuinely feared for Natsuki's life, but stayed silent as Mitsuru began her interrogation.

Surprisingly gentle in tone, Mitsuru asked, "When was the last time you saw Fuuka?" Obviously shaken, the girl seemed unable to respond correctly.

"I- I think, uh..."

Mitsuru took her legs down from the desk, and the three juniors held their breath. It would be hard to explain a student being speared by an icicle indoors in May.

"Fuuka is missing, Moriyama," she stated sternly but softly. "We know that you and your friends were giving her a hard time, but if we don't find her soon, you'll be in a lot more trouble."

Natsuki gulped, and a bead of sweat ran down her neck. "Well, I...we locked her in the gym one day last week. And when we came back to get her that night, she was gone. We assumed she had gotten out on her own." She took a deep breath before continuing. "But she didn't show up to school that day. Or the next day. Or the day after that." Natsuki got on her knees in front of Mitsuru, a desperate look on her face. "Please, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for it to be like this. Honestly!"

The imposing senior took a second to observe her, then sighed loudly. "I cannot decide whether or not the school will forgive your actions," she started,  
but you have done well by telling us the truth. Now, please, return to class." Natsuki gave her a shaky but grateful bow, and hastily exited.

"Wow, Mitsuru," Junpei said, amazed. "I didn't think you could be so forgiving."

She elegantly threw her long red hair. "But of course. An empress must be understanding of her subjects. They are people, after all," she replied, self-important in tone. Suddenly, her kind expression turned cold and ruthless.

"But which one of you peasants used all of the hot water in the shower this morning?"

"It was Junpei."

"Minato."

"Yuka-tan for sure."

Mitsuru cracked her knuckles. "We are going to have a meeting when we get home today. I may be cold-blooded," she began with a grim chuckle, "but I don't do cold showers."

* * *

Minato flinched as he sat down on the desk, his rear painfully sore. He, along with the rest of SEES, was in classroom 2-F. But it was dark, the lights turned out to avoid detection.

"Alright team," Mitsuru said quietly. "Fuuka was locked in the gym late at night, so she was probably transported to Tartarus by accident. We need to find the gym key, and fast, so let's spread out. Arisato and Takeba, go check the faculty office."

"But why us-"

"But I don't wan-

"No butts. Haven't you had enough of that already?" The two held their tongues, the pain in their cheeks still fresh.

"Iori, Akihiko, and I will check the janitors' closets. Ready team? Hail Mitsuru on three. One. Two."

"Wait, what-"

"Three!"

* * *

Minato trailed behind Yukari, just barely managing to follow see her pink sweatshirt in the dark. They were close to the faculty office. It was just down the stairs and across the lobby.

"Yukari I- "

"Shh!" she buzzed. "There's someone coming!"

"Huh? What do you mean some- oof!"

Yukari basically tackled him, and the two fell against the wall behind a pillar. Behind Yukari, Minato could see a flash of light followed by some footsteps. The light turned away shortly, and the steps gradually receded. It had been a security guard.

"Phew, that was a close one," Yukari sighed.

"Y-yeah. Uh, please let go of me Yukari."

"...My bad."

If it hadn't been for the lack of light, Minato was sure both of their faces would have been pure red.

* * *

They found the key in the office without much effort, and met the other three team members in front of the gym.

"Cest magnific!" Junpei cried. Mitsuru smacked him on the head with the back of her hand.

"It's c'est magnifique," she corrected coolly. "And good job you two. I hope the task was a good bonding experience for you two."

"W-whatever," Yukari stuttered. "Let's go find Fuuka."

"Hey!" Junpei shouted, still rubbing the small bump on the back of his head. "If there's a pretty damsel in distress up there to save, I wanna go!"

"I want to go too," Akihiko added. "I haven't been on a mission yet, and I'm itching for a fight."

Mitsuru replied, "I need to stay here to provide back-up, and someone else needs to help. Sorry Takeba, you're the only one left."

"Oh, alright."

"We can have 'girl talk', as they call it."

"..."

Minato, Junpei, and Akihiko entered the gym, and waited until for the Dark Hour to come. Sure enough, after about ten minutes the room suddenly turned dark and green. Minato instantly felt dizzy, and the world began spinning, spinning, spinning...

* * *

And spinning. He woke up alone, somewhere inside Tartarus. Shaking his head, he slowly came to his senses.

 _"We're not a couple!"_ he heard loudly over the radio.

 _"Are you sure? So you would be okay if Arisato and I were together?"_ buzzed another voice.

 _"Well, uh, I mean you're a senior and stuff so that would be kinda weird."_

 _"I was only joking Takeba. But I think he wouldn't mind an older woman. He has good taste, after all."_

 _"What's that supposed to mean!?"_

 _"Oh, hold on Takeba. I think he's woken up."_

"I'm up," he said casually, pretending he had heard nothing.

 _"Alright,"_ the senior responded over the communications. _"Iori and Akihiko have already made it to Fuuka. Fight your way to them and escape."_

"Roger roger."

 _"Wait, how much of that conversation did you hear?"_ asked Yukari suspiciously.

"What? I can't hear you...I...comms...static..." Minato took his earpiece out and swiftly stomped on it.

Alright. Time to fight. Even alone, this should be a piece of cake.

 _15 minutes later_

Sweet Tartarus. Thank megido. The stairs. At the top, Minato leaned against the wall, taking a moment to catch his breath. He had not expected to fight three separate Deaths on the same floor. Minato had lost his sword, his jacket, and part of his hair, but was otherwise intact.

"Hey, over here!" called a familiar voice. A short distance away, Junpei was waving him over. Akihiko and a girl he hadn't met stood next to him. That must be Fuuka.

Minato rushed over, and the four exchanged quick greetings before Mitsuru made a frantic call over the radio (which Minato could no longer hear).

"We need to go!" Akihiko commanded. "There's another big shadow, and it's coming after the girls!"

The four rushed to the nearest exit. Minato caught a brief glimpse of a full moon through a window as he ran, but paid it no attention, quickly following Junpei through the teleporter and back to the ground floor.

* * *

At the entrance to Tartarus, the scene was one of complete chaos. Mitsuru was in the hands of a large shadow that resembled a king. Yukari was being held by a giant shadow that looked like a queen. For some reason, Natsuki was there just chilling. And Minato was still missing a chunk of his hair.

Yukari cried, "Help me, Minato!"

"No!" Mitsuru shouted. "You should help your queen first!"

"Cut that out!"

Minato froze. Who was he going to save? Yukari, his estranged true love? Or Mitsuru, the potential royal lover? Yukari, the pink sniper? Or Mitsuru, the red rapier? Yukari, the-

Fuuka, the girl they had saved, suddenly stepped up. Her light-blue hair seemed to glow with power as she spoke.

"Persona."

A huge blue blast appeared from her hands. The two shadows looked at each other, and nodded in grim acceptance. They were instantly vaporized, leaving Mitsuru and Yukari to fall a couple dozen of feet to the floor.

"Aaaah!"

"Eeeek!"

Junpei managed to catch Mitsuru, and Akihiko got Yukari. Minato sighed in relief. He was amazed; Fuuka had that kind of power? Impressive. He turned to thank her, but the girl suddenly looked faint and weak. Her knees gave out and Minato was barely in time to slip his arms under her as she passed out.

* * *

At the hospital, Minato sat by Fuuka's bedside, and rubbed his eyes. The members of SEES were taking turns watching her, and he had unfortunately gotten the night shift.

He took a closer look at the girl that had saved them all. In her sleep, she seemed so gentle and fragile. Her sky blue-hair rustled as she breathed in and out. She was quite short, somewhere around five feet. Yet she had great power in her, enough to completely destroy two shadows in the blink of an eye. He shivered. Best not to get on her bad side.

A light knock on the room door surprised him, and brought him out of his thoughts. "Hey Minato. Can we talk?" said a figure in the doorway. Minato nodded.

Yukari stepped in and sat down next to Minato. The two waited in the dim light for what felt like an hour without speaking.

Without warning, Yukari took Minato's hand and interlaced their fingers. He flinched, but said nothing.

"I'm sorry," Yukari said quietly. "I said some really...bad...things on the train that day."

"Yukari, it's okay, I under-"

"Shh. Let me finish." Minato shut up.

"I'm not so good with people...Even though I seem very social, I have trouble with, err, letting people in, I guess. As you already saw...I can get pretty jealous and nasty..."

The girl suddenly stood up and let go of Minato's hand. "I need to work out a lot of things in my life before I can really open up." She looked straight at Minato, a calm but sad expression on her face. "Do you understand?"

Minato nodded, dispirited but aware. Yukari had a lot of personal things to work out, and she didn't want to hurt him while she did so.

"Close your eyes, 'kay?

Minato raised his eyebrows suspiciously, but shut his eyes anyway. "Alright. Now what?"

A voice whispered in his ear. "Wait for me, okay?" Something wet touched his cheek.

Minato opened his eyes, shocked. Yukari was nowhere to be seen.

Heart pounding, he touched the spot. It was still warm. Damn it Yukari. He sighed and sat in his seat, feeling down.

A gentle coughing roused him from his inner thoughts. On the hospital bed, Fuuka sat up, lightly swaying.

"Fuuka? Are you awake?"

"Huh? Who's...there? What's..going on...?" Her voice sounded very slow and dreamy. Minato gulped. It must have been the painkillers.

Panicked, he hurriedly pressed the button to call the doctor, then ran to Fuuka's side. She was lazily smiling, straight at him.

"Oh, hi!" she mumbled happily, slightly wobbling.

"Uh, hey. Don't worry Fuuka, the doctor will be here soon."

She frowned. "I don't like doctors. They make me sad." Clearly, she was not normal self. "You look sad. Can I help you be not sad?"

"No no, I'm perfectly fine! I -ah!"

Fuuka leaned over and quickly gave him a light peck on the cheek, than giggled. "I hope you aren't sad anymore."

Minato stood like a statue, speechless.

A middle-aged man wearing a white coat walked in. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

The girl on the bed giggled mischievously. Minato gulped. "I think I'm having a heart attack."

* * *

 _"Peace is paved_

 _With the kingdom saved_

 _Hurrah to [Minato]_

 _Our only hero_

 _This ends our trip_

 _After a long friendship."_

 _-Super [Persona] Bros. (Originally from Super Mario Bros.)_


	11. Hot in the Kitchen

_Why have resolution when you can just add more problems?_

* * *

Chapter 11: Hot in the Kitchen

 _Ringggggg_

Minato sighed and began packing up his books. Around him, students were doing the same or happily chatting as they stood and left the class. Minato, however, was not feeling so upbeat. The seat in front of him was notably empty: Yukari hadn't shown up to school. Again. They hadn't even talked since the hospital, and it was really getting to Minato.

"Aw, cheer up man!" Junpei consoled, still seated next to Minato. "Yuka-tan's just sick. She'll be fine in no time." He got up and chuckled. "Besides, don't you have Fuuka-tan?" Minato groaned and covered his face with his hands.

"I can't believe I told you about that," he said unhappily. Junpei smirked and gave him a hearty pat on the back.

"Your mistake, not mine. And Fuuka-tan is so sweet. Why don't you go for her?"

"Because I..." Love Yukari, he finished in his head. Whoa. That was too close for comfort. Junpei would never let him hear the end of it if he knew.

"Because you..." Junpei probed. Minato kept silent, and his friend shrugged. "I'll never get you, Minato. Every girl wants you, but-"

"Excuse me? Is anyone here?" a voice interrupted. Minato and Junpei turned towards the source.

In the doorway, a dainty-looking girl stood, peeking in nervously. She seemed like a regular student other than her hair, which was bright blue, but a shade much lighter than Minato's. Short in height and rather skinny, the girl was wearing the standard black uniform with a blue shirt underneath.

"Hey Fuuka," Junpei greeted cheerfully. "What's up?"

She stepped in, still a bit intimidated. "Oh, uh...I wanted to talk to you guys." Out of the corner of his eye, Minato saw Junpei grin.

"Oh, well sorry, but I gotta get to baseball practice. You can talk with my boy Minato here though!" he replied as he grabbed Minato's shoulder and hoisted him up out of his seat.

Minato shook his head. "We don't have a baseball team," he pointed out. He saw what Junpei was trying to do, and he was not having any of it.

"Oh..." Junpei laughed. "Well, I gotta go! Try not to have too much fun!" he shouted as he dashed out of the room. Minato silently fumed: Junpei was _so_ getting a smack on the back of the head later.

Junpei's sudden exit left the two blue-haired students alone in the classroom, awkwardly standing a couple of feet from each other.

"Err..." Fuuka stuttered shakily. The two stood in silence for a moment, neither sure of what to say and both extremely uncomfortable. Minato took a breath.

"How are you feeling?" he asked politely, trying to spark a conversation. Fuuka blushed.

"Oh, uh...I'm feeling a lot better. Thanks for saving me," she responded, apparently a little more comfortable. "I can't remember a lot though..."

Minato felt a silent wave of relief. So she didn't remember what she had done. "I'm sorry to hear that," he responded. "Oh, by the way, are you sure about moving in to the dorm?" She nodded.

"I want to help people with my power. If I can do that by joining SEES, I have no problem moving in with you guys." Minato laughed and sheepishly scratched his head. He had forgotten how ridiculously strong Fuuka was.

"Oh!" Fuuka cut in, as if she had suddenly remembered something. "That reminds me about why I came here in the first place! Minato-san," she started, putting her hands together and bowing her head as if pleading.

Minato laughed nervously. "Uh, yes Fuuka?"

"Do you know how to cook?"

"Huh?"

Fuuka looked up and stared right into his eyes. Minato gulped. Junpei was right: she was pretty cute.

"I heard that Yukari isn't feeling very well, so I wanted to make her something to help her feel better," she said, still holding his gaze.

"That's, uh, awfully kind of you Fuuka," he responded. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he asked, "So you want to make Yukari some food?" Fuuka nodded eagerly, brown eyes still fixed on Minato's. He just couldn't look away from them.

"Mhm. But I don't know how to cook, so I wanted to ask you and Junpei for help." Minato gave her a weak smile, but was internally arguing with himself. On opposite shoulders, two tiny figures popped into existence.

"You don't know how to cook. You almost burned the dorm down making ramen last week. You should tell Fuuka you can't help her," proposed an angel on the right shoulder.

"No, help her," countered a miniature devil on the left shoulder. "She's cute as Tartarus, and she'll be in your debt." The little red figure winked, and Minato felt himself burning with embarrassment.

"The boy can't cook!" shouted the angel. "And you know he only has eyes for Yukari! He's more likely to give her food poisoning than he is to make her feel better."

"Pshh." The devil scoffed. "She's only feeling down because you two had an argument. If you help Fuuka make this and give it to Yukari yourself, the two of you will be back to your normal lovey-dovey lives!"

"Hey!" Minato yelled in his thoughts. "We aren't lovey-dovey."

"Yet," added the angel. "You know, the red guy has a point. This could help you and Yukari get closer. That's what we all want in the end, right?"

"White boy is right," said the devil. "After all, we're just figures in your imagination. You're one weird kid, visualizing an argument like this." Minato sighed.

"Get outta here you two." On command, the miniature entities poofed out of existence.

"I'll do it," Minato stated boldly to Fuuka. "I'll help Yukari."

* * *

 _One hour later_

"Uh, uh, where's the fire extinguisher!?"

"I don't know! Call for help!"

"Help! Help!"

"I didn't mean that literally! I meant go get help!"

Someone from outside the dorm kitchen kicked in the door and stormed in. "What is the meaning of this!?" Mitsuru shouted, barely audible over the sounds of a kitchen in chaos.

"Mitsuru! There's a fire! Go get help!"

The red-haired senior groaned loudly. From her back pocket, she pulled out her evoker and aimed it at her head. "Penthesilea!"

Every open surface in the room instantly froze over. The smoke that had been gathering dissipated, leaving Minato, Fuuka, and a very upset Mitsuru clearly visible.

"Please be more careful next time," Mitsuru chided as she turned. "I don't need anything else interrupting my studies." She exited, which left Minato and Fuuka alone in an icy tundra that had once been the dorm kitchen. Fuuka slid down and sat, knees to her chest.

"I'm useless," she mumbled. Minato saw her eyes water up, and sat down next to her.

"No you're not," he comforted. "You had good intentions. They just didn't...pan out."

"We set the kitchen on fire trying to boil water."

"Err...well...details aside, I think it's really kind of you to try and make Yukari feel better."

Fuuka sniffled. "Really?" Minato nodded, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're a good person. Just not a good cook." Fuuka giggled.

"Well, you're a good person too," she replied happily. "Just not a good boyfriend, apparently."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Averting her gaze, Fuuka blushed and said, "I heard the conversation you and Yukari had. It sounds like you two are having some relationship issues."

...

"But...I thought...memory..." Minato stumbled over his words, shocked at the revelation. If Fuuka remembers that, she must remember...

"Yo!" called a voice by the door. Junpei entered, carrying two mops in his hands. "Mitsuru told me to tell you guys to clean this place up. All that melted water isn't going to dry itself, ya know?"

Fuuka quickly wrapped her arms around Minato. "Thanks for all of the help," she whispered in his ear. "Let's do it again sometime, but without the fire." Minato was motionless, as frozen as the floor around him. Additionally, his heart threatened to stop beating.

"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Junpei teased as he walked over and dropped the mops next to the pair. "I'm sure Yuka-tan will be happy to hear you've moved on."

"J-Junpei!"

* * *

 _If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen._

 _\- Harry S. Truman_


End file.
